camerapediafandomcom-20200215-history
Meteor, Vestkam, Epochs and Beauty 14
The Meteor, Vestkam, Epochs and Beauty 14 are subminiature cameras taking 17.5mm film, made and distributed by Taiyōdō in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The Vestkam was perhaps imported in the US by American Home Industries Inc. Description All the models take ten 14×14mm exposures on 17.5mm film. They are better finished than the average Hit-type cameras, and have a much sleeker design. The viewfinder is contained in a clean top housing, covering the whole length of the camera. The advance knob is integrated at the left end (as seen by the photographer). The back is hinged to the left for film loading, and is locked by a sliding bar on the right. It contains a single red window, protected by a sliding cover. The film plane is incurved to compensate the lens aberrations. All the models have a fixed focus and aperture. The details of the lens engraving and shutter unit vary according to the models. Single finder models The Meteor The Meteor (メテオール) was announced in the January 1948 issue of and in the March 1948 issue of .Columns reproduced in Awano, pp.4–5 of no.239. These are the earliest articles featuring the camera according to , p.370. The column in mentions an earlier US-made camera of the same name, and Awano speculates (on p.1) that this is a confusion with an earlier announcement of the Japanese camera in a US magazine, but this is most probably an allusion to the Universal Meteor. The column in says that the camera takes 16mm film, but that in confirms the use of 17.5mm film, and this is merely a mistake. Advertisements appear in Japanese magazines from March 1948 to June 1949. , p.370; Awano, p.1 of no.239. Most mention an f/4.5 lens.F/4.5 lens: column in March 1948 reproduced in Awano, p.5 of no.239, advertisement in October 1948 reproduced in , p.200, advertisements in December 1948 and January 1949 reproduced in Awano, p.6 of no.239, and advertisement in February 1949 reproduced in this page. The name "Meteor" is spelled correctly in advertisements until late 1948, but all later advertisements have the name "Meteall" instead.The advertisement on p.6 of April 20, 1948, reproduced on p.84 of Hyaku-gō goto jūkai no kiroku, and those in May and December 1948, reproduced in Awano, pp.5–6 of no.239, have "Meteor". The advertisements in October 1948, reproduced in , p.200, in January 1949, reproduced in Awano, p.6 of no.239, and in February 1949, reproduced in this page, have "Meteall". Awano, p.1 of no.239, says that the name appears as "Meteor" in until September 1948 and in until December 1948, and as "Meteall" after that date. No actual camera has been observed with "Meteall" markings, and the newer spelling is thought to be a misprint, because "Meteall" and "Meteor" would be pronounced the same by a Japanese speaker. However the fact that this misprint lasted for six months and displaced the correct spelling (instead of the reverse) remains unexplained.This is commented in Awano, p.1 of no.239. The camera is identified by the name Meteor engraved on the top housing. The shutter plate reads Meteor at the top and T.K.K at the bottom, with metal stripes on both sides. The everset shutter is tripped by a lever on the right. It gives B, 1/25, 1/50 speeds, selected by a sliding button on the side of the casing, with B'', ''1, 2'' positions (position 1 is 1/25, position 2 is 1/50). Variations are known in the lens rim. The regular examples have a plain bezel with no marking,Examples pictured in , p.912, and in this page at Submin.com. as appears in all the advertising pictures observed so far. Some examples have a lens rim engraved ''Vestkam 1:4.5 F=25mm or Vestkam 1:3.5 F=20mm, the same as on the later Vestkam, with no change at all in the lens itself.F/4.5: examples pictured in , item 5063, and in Awano, no.239. F/3.5: example pictured in Awano, no.239. The mention of f/4.5 or f/3.5 aperture, either in the advertisements or on the lens markings, is misleading, and the actual aperture is reportedly close to f/9.Awano, p.1 of no.239. It is said that early examples of the Meteor have no pressure plate, whereas later cameras have both a pressure plate and a U-shaped metal insert to hold the supply spool.Awano, p.1 of no.239. This is certainly based on the observation of the two examples pictured in the article, which have non-standard lens rims. The camera perhaps suffered from some problems of stiff film advance, and the introduction of the spool holder certainly tried to overcome this.The column on the Beauty 14 in December 1949, p.35, says that the camera was cleared of the problems of stiff advance encountered on previous subminiature cameras. At least some examples of the Meteor are engraved MADE IN OCCUPIED JAPAN on the bottom plate.Example pictured in this page at Submin.com. At least one example, probably very early, is known to have a serial number (no.1075) engraved on the top housing.Example no.1075 sold as lot no.215 of Christies auction no.5690 (May 6, 2005). The Vestkam The Vestkam (ベストカム) was released in July 1949 as a successor of the Meteor.The earliest advertisements listed in , p.363, are in and July 1949. Advertisements mention an f/4.5 lens until spring 1950, and an f/3.5 lens later, until August 1950.F/4.5 lens: advertisement in July 1949 reproduced in Awano, p.7 of no.239; advertisement in December 1949, p.2, reproduced in this page. F/3.5 lens: advertisement in April 1950 reproduced in Awano, p.7 of no.239. No mention of the lens: advertisement in March 1950 reproduced in , p.178, and advertisement in May 1950, p.2, reproduced in this page. The last advertisement listed in , p.363, is in August 1950. The column in December 1949 mentions an f/4.5 lens and B, S, F speeds; exactly the same text is repeated in May 1950.Columns December 1949, p.35, and May 1950, pp.46–7, reproduced in this page. The camera is identified by the name Vestkam inscribed on the top housing and on the shutter plate, instead of Meteor. The speed selector now has clearly labeled B'', ''25, 50 positions. No other difference from the Meteor is visible. It is possible that the name was changed because of a conflict with the US company Universal, which produced a Meteor camera at the same time, but this is a mere guess. The lens rim of the Vestkam presents the same variations as that of the Meteor, but the Vestkam 1:4.5 F=25mm or Vestkam 1:3.5 F=20mm engravings are more common than the plain rim.Plain rim: examples pictured in , p.912, in this page at Subclub.org, and offered for sale by a dealer. F/4.5: examples pictured in Pritchard, p.78, in Awano, no.239, in this page at Submin.com, sold by Christies as lot no.255 of auction no.9837 (May 7, 2004) and lot no.215 of auction no.5690 (May 6, 2005), and offered for sale by dealers. F/3.5: examples pictured in , item 5155, in Awano, no.239, in this page at Moshe Bar-El's camera site, offered for sale by dealers and observed in online auctions. Again, the engraving variations occurred with no change at all in the lens itself. It is possible that the Meteor and Vestkam were produced in parallel for some time, explaining that the three lens variations are found on both models. It seems that all the Vestkam have a pressure plate, whose incurved shape reflects that of the film path. It is said that the early Vestkam have a removable insert on the supply side, whereas later cameras have a spool holder hinged to the central part of the body.Awano, p.1 of no.239. Most examples of the Vestkam, if not all, have MADE IN OCCUPIED JAPAN on the bottom plate. Some have the additional mention FOR AMERICAN HOME INDUSTRIES INC, probably corresponding to the name of the US importer.Example pictured in this page at Submin.com. The Vestkam was sold in a small red and blue cardboard box, which is not uncommon today. The Epochs The Epochs is a name variant of the late Vestkam. It was not featured or advertised in the Japanese magazines of the time, and was certainly made for export only. It was perhaps rebadged on request of some distributor. The name Epochs appears on the top plate only. The shutter plate is slightly different, with a five-pointed star at the top, instead of the camera name, and round dots on both sides of the lens, interrupting the usual metal stripes. The lens rim is engraved Talent 1:3.5 F=20mm on all the examples observed so far.Examples pictured in , p.911, in Pritchard, p.78, in , item 5034, and in this page at Submin.com. The Epochs is less commonly found than the Vestkam. It sometimes comes with its original box, which is similar to that of the Vestkam.Original box pictured in this page at Submin.com. Dual finder model: the Beauty 14 The Beauty 14 is an upgraded version of the Meteor. The name Beauty is engraved on the top casing. The main viewfinder is slightly offset to the left, and there is an additional angle finder on the right, with an eyepiece at the right end of the top casing. The shutter has slightly better features, giving, B, 25, 50, 100 speeds selected by turning the rim. It is cocked by a lever on the left and tripped by another lever on the right. The shutter plate is the same as on the Epochs, with a five-pointed star at the top. (The shutter unit is thus similar to that of Taiyōdō's Spy 16 camera taking 16mm film.) The lens engraving is Beauty 1:4.5 F=20mm on all the examples observed so far.Examples pictured in , p.113, in Pritchard, p.79, in , item 5014. The Beauty 14 is featured in the article in December 1949 on Japanese camera production.Column in December 1949, p.35, reproduced in this page. The document mentions the Beauty 20mm f/4.5 lens. Another mention of the camera is reported in an article dated May 1952, but it was perhaps discontinued at the time. , p.360. Notes Bibliography Original documents * . Advertisement by Taiyōdō in February 1949 (p. 2). * Advertisement on p. 84, corresponding to p. 6 of the April 20, 1948 issue. * Advertisements by Taiyōdō in December 1949 (p. 2) and May 1950 (p. 2). * December 1949. "Ōru kokusan kamera" (オール国産カメラ, All of Japanese cameras). Pp. 34–41. * May 1950. "Kokusan kamera" (国産カメラ, Japanese cameras). Pp. 42–7. Recent sources * Items 727, 802 and 959. * Awano Mikio (粟野幹男). "Meteōru, Besutokamu, Epokkusu" (メテオール、ベストカム、エポックス, Meteor, Vestkam, Epochs). In no.239 (May 1997). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha. * Pp. 113 and 911–2. * Pp. 77–9. * Items 5014, 5034, 5063 and 5155. Links In English: * Meteor, Vestkam and Epochs at Submin.com (the page on the Beauty shows a Beauty 16) * Beauty 14, Epochs, Meteor and Vestkam among 17.5mm film cameras at Subclub.org * Past auctions by Westlicht Photographica Auction: ** Vestkam, lot no.457 of auction no.1 (November 15, 2002) ** Vestkam in lot no.659 of auction no.3 (May 24, 2003) ** Vestkam, lot no.612 of auction no.8 (November 27, 2005) * Past auctions by Christies: ** Vestkam, lot no.255 of sale no.9837 (May 7, 2004) ** Meteor, Vestkam and Epochs, lot no.215 of sale no.5690 (May 6, 2005) * Vestkam in Moshe Bar-El's camera collection * Vestkam in Nigel Richards' website * Vestkam among other subminiature cameras at the Subminiature site of Gary Sivertsen Category:Japanese 17.5mm film Beauty 14 Taiyodo 17.5mm